Better urban design means better places for us to live, work and play. It also means closer-knit, supportive, and safer communities. By making smarter decisions about development, we can avoid suburban sprawl,limit long-distance commutes, and dramatically reduce the use of carbon-based fuels that lead to climate change. Everyday more municipalities, cities and provinces adopt "smart growth" policies where new construction occurs close to existing water, sewer, electric and phone lines, mass transit and highways, rather than creating suburban sprawl. This will limit long commutes and dramatically reduce the use of carbon-based fuels that lead to global warming.